The Nation

Sex Slave Bunker Is Razed

DEWITT, N.Y. — The backyard bunker where a serial rapist kept five women and girls as his sex slaves over a 15-year period was demolished Tuesday.

Destruction of the two underground rooms, at the defendant's expense, was part of the plea agreement under which 68-year-old John Jamelske was sentenced last month to 18 years to life in prison.

"The demolition is out of the ordinary, but it's not a typical crime scene," said prosecutor William Fitzpatrick.

"We thought it would give some comfort to the victims and the community. We also wanted to make sure it didn't attract any curiosity seekers," he said.

At his sentencing, Jamelske admitted keeping five people as sex slaves from 1988 to this year in the concrete bunker he built behind his home in the Syracuse suburb of DeWitt. His victims ranged in age from 13 to 53 and were held captive for periods ranging from two months to three years.

The bunker, which Jamelske referred to as his "party room," consisted of two, 12-by-12-foot rooms with seven-foot ceilings. It was accessible only through a steel door in his basement wall.

The demolition was being paid for by Jamelske, defense attorney J. Michael Forsyth told WSTM-TV. He did not know the cost.